PARIS — A decade into his stint at Dior Homme, Kris Van Assche is plainly doing something right. Even before the days of revolving-door designers, a term of employment that long might have qualified Mr. Van Assche for a gold pocket watch.

It happens that Christian Dior spent the same amount of time at the storied house that bears his name. In those years the designer completely altered the history of postwar 20th-century fashion.

Mr. Van Assche, by contrast, has effected surprisingly little change, either in the broader culture or even his own style. Season after season he creates commercial men’s wear that alludes to risks he largely sidesteps, makes obligatory reference to a youth culture at some distance from his actual customers and all but shuns color in a house that, more than any other, was built on its magic.

Still, the formula must be working. The suits the designer claimed to be reinventing in a monochrome show held inside the bombastic 19th-century Grand Palais — made over with sod and pendant black plastic fronds to evoke a nighttime field into which some young rowdies are headed — will most likely look pretty much like those from last season once they hit the selling floor. That must work for the Dior Homme consumer.

There were waistcoats over this season’s ubiquitous gym shorts, notched at the sides and cut as high as the ones you wore in fifth grade; sleeveless vest jacketsA jacket is a mid stomach length garment for the upper body. A jacket typically has sleeves, and fastens in the front or slightly on the side. A jacket is generally lighter, tighter-fitting, and less insulating than a coat, which is outerwear. Some jackets are fashionable, while others serve as protective clothing.; figure-eight suits seamed to follow the lines of the body; binding tape woven with the rue de Marignan address of Dior’s men’s wear atelier worn as scarves, ribboning jackets, turned into an overall pattern and, in a flash of wit, left as labels sewn on the outside of jacket sleeves.

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SPRING 2018
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If the familiar is a safe space for Mr. Van Assche, a more adventurous designer like Olivier Rousteing, of Balmain, explores cultural déjà vu as a thrilling danger zone. For a show so chauvinistic in its orientation it was a wonder he didn’t screen Jerry Lewis movies afterward, Mr. Rousteing seemed determined to remind everyone of his deeply rooted Frenchness.

Yet what does it mean to be French at a time when a brilliant young technocrat is elected president on his promises to restore a flagging economy and mend a fragmented polity? Can the inclusive and modernized country imagined by Emmanuel Macron be found compatible with the nostalgic France the innovative French chef Alain Senderens once derided as stuck in “tra-la-la and chichi”?

Mr. Rousteing seemed to choose for the latter in a show whose soundtrack featured hoary tunes by Brigitte Bardot and Serge Gainsbourg and models of either sex strutting the catwalk in fussily ornamented clothes that, even when they overtly referred to Americana, did so in a way that brought to mind Top 40 hits in nutso translation.

It was delightful, if mystifying, the designer’s largely monochrome array of leather tunics, semitransparent Breton stripe sweaters, Old Glory tunics, studded motorcycle jackets, steel tip boots and stretchy black jeans with meek peekaboo slits at the knees. As a demonstration of French craftsmanship it was impressive. As an example of image-making it seemed strangely anachronistic, yet another attempt at resuscitating the giddy look of Paris night life circa 1978, when people still frequented spots like le Palace, le Bronx or le Sept. As someone who danced away part of his youth in those very places, I understand Mr. Rousteing’s impulse. Though at 31 he would know better than I, my hunch is the kids don’t party that way anymore.

“We show our women’s here and it feels right to be here for men’s,” Sarah Burton, the Alexander McQueen designer, said before a show of couture-style men’s wear returning the male side of this label’s business to the Paris schedule and its show to a 19th-century orangery set inside the Luxembourg Gardens.

Her stated theme was pioneers and explorers, Ms. Burton said, its inspiration some recent travel to Iceland. Summer in the north must be mighty nippy if it calls for quilted puffer jackets, exquisite lipstick-red leather topcoats, fur motorcycle vests bristling with zippers, overcoats of paneled camel’s hair, knitted hoodies, sweaters with elbows made from the heels of socks, or woolen coats inspired by rugs.

In Ms. Burton’s supremely skilled hands, endless night becomes day, summer calls for winter woolens and men’s fashion steals a march on women’s. Alongside the usual tra-la-la and chichi of Fashion Week in Paris, a fair amount of blah-blah was heard about the potential merging of the sexes on runways and the end of a separate men’s wear season altogether.

If the case that Ms. Burton’s McQueen show made for separating the two were not enough, further assurance came from Fran?ois-Henri Pinault, chairman and chief executive of Kering, which owns the label, as well as Gucci, Saint Laurent, Stella McCartney, Bottega Veneta and Balenciaga.

“If it’s forced,” Mr. Pinault said in the minutes before the McQueen show started, speaking of coed fashion seasons, “both parts are losing.”

FOR HER second season campaign for Christian Dior, artistic director Maria Grazia Chiuri has once again put the spotlight on feminism and femininity. Nine models strike a pose for the Fall-Winter 2017-18 collection which focuses on contrasts and shades of blue.

Is Dior creating its own army of in-demand models with a strong personality and style, just like Olivier Rousteing did at Balmain? We will have to wait for future seasons to find out, but it’s true that Maria Grazia Chiuri has signed up not one or two but nine high-profile modelsModel (people), a person in a role to promote, display, or advertise commercial products or to serve as a visual aide for people who are creating works of art. for Dior’s Fall-Winter 2017 campaign.

Ruth Bell, who featured in the campaign for Maria Grazia Chiuri’s very first collection for Dior, is back again for F/W 2017. She’s accompanied by Grace Hartzel, Selena Forrest, Jing Wen, Adwoa Aboah, Fernanda Ly, Ellen Rosa, Aira Ferreira, and Camille Hurel.

Arms crossed, hands in pockets or hanging down by their sides, the faces of this new collection are staring down the lens with steely determination. Each of the shots for the campaign reveals the unique personality of each of these women and their rock-steady self-confidence.

Dior’s artistic director has once again entrusted her campaign to the French photographer Brigitte Lacombe, who has captured the feeling of solidarity between these individuals from different backgrounds.

Swedish fashionFashion is a popular style or practice, especially in clothing, footwear, accessories, makeup, body piercing, or furniture. Fashion is a distinctive and often habitual trend in the style in which a person dresses. It is the prevailing styles in behaviour and the newest creations of textile designers. retailer H&M, which has focused its local expansion on Australia’s capitals, will this year roll out stores in the Queensland regional cities of Townsville and Rockhampton.

The move goes against the tide of a depressed retail sector where stores have closed and a number of retailers failed outright, and also signals an expansion into centres that have been hit by the downturn in the resources sector.

H&M will open the two stores at centres owned by listed property group Stockland, which is already its landlord in the Sydney CBD.

Stockland’s commercial property chief executive John Schroder noted the global fashion brand was making an investment in regional Queensland.

“We completed redevelopments at both Stockland Townsville, with our co-owner AMP Capital, and Stockland Rockhampton in recent years and we’ll continue to draw the biggest and best brands to maintain our lead as the number one shopping destination in both cities,” Mr Schroder said.

A number of retail chains have failed this year, including the local arm of Topshop, as well as Herringbone, Rhodes & Beckett, Pumpkin Patch and Payless Shoes.

However, a handful of international retailers including Sephora (owned by French giant LVMH), H&M, Spanish fast fashion chain Zara and Japanese department store Uniqlo continue to thrive in the local market.

H&M opened its Sydney flagship store at Glasshouse on Pitt Street Mall in 2015 and has 21 stores in Australia and more than 5000 stores in 66 countries worldwide.

Overnight, the global Swedish giant announced a stronger than expected profit in the second quarter thanks to the opening of new stores and better cost control.

Net profit for the period between March and May stood at 5.9 billion kronor ($US691 million), up by 10 per cent, while turnover also rose 10 per cent.

“The profit increase in the second quarter is mostly explained by continued expansion and tight cost control,” the Swedish group said in a statement.

H&M continues to open physical stores around the world to compensate for the downturn, and even decline, in its profitability, amid fierce competition from online sales platforms.

“Customer behaviour and expectations are changing at an ever-increasing pace, with a greater and greater share of sales taking place online,” chief executive Karl-Johan Persson said in a statement, adding this “brings great opportunities for the H&M group”.

“I’m hearing that we are lagging behind in e-commerce, but we are convinced that our strategy ensures the conditions for our long-term growth,” told a news conference.

H&M expects to increase its annual online sales by 25 per cent in the coming years, while total sales are expected to grow by only seven per cent in June (down from the eight per cent increase in June 2016), a crucial month for (northern) summer sales.

Transformers: The Last Knight is out today! Besides Mark Wahlberg, who returns as hero Cade Yeager, the fifth instalment introduces Laura Haddock and Isabela Moner as the female leads. Having previously starred in Guardians of the Galaxy and Captain America, Laura is no newbie to the action genre. In Transformers, she portrays an Oxford professor who ends up joining Cade and his band of Autobots on a quest to save the world. 15-year-old former Nickelodeon star Isabela is Izabella, an orphan and tech whizz brought up by Transformers. From goofy socks to the best moments on set, we caught up with the up-and-coming actresses in London to find out what they have in common…

As much as we love to engross ourselves in the newest thriller everyone’s talking about, sometimes nothing beats the romantic Jane Austen or William Shakespeare classics. After all, summer is the perfect opportunity to finally read that book you’ve been telling yourself to read since forever, or to revisit your childhood favourites. Keep scrolling to discover our list of the five best classic reads to delve back into this summerSummer is the hottest of the four temperate seasons, falling between spring and autumn. At the summer solstice, the days are longest and the nights are shortest, with day-length decreasing as the season progresses after the solstice. The date of the beginning of summer varies according to climate, tradition and culture, but when it is summer in the Northern Hemisphere, it is winter in the Southern Hemisphere, and vice versa.…
A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare
With fairies, love potions and magic, A Midsummer Night’s Dream is one of Shakespeare’s most well known and loved plays. On a Midsummer’s night, four young lovers find themselves in an enchanted forest where games of fantasy, love and dreams start to unravel…
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bront?
Jane Eyre, an orphan coming out of a tough childhood, gets a job at Thornfield Hall to work as a governess for the mysterious Mr Rochester. The ensuing story of surviving poverty, injustice and a bitter betrayal beautifully documents her fight for freedom on her own terms.
Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen
Northanger Abbey is a coming of age story focused on the adventures of sheltered 17-year-old girl Catherine, who moves to Bath. Having seen the world through the pages of romantic gothic novels, her trip is disrupted by mishaps and love interests.
Tender is the Night by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Set after the First World War in the South of France, Tender is the Night tells the story of madness, love and success. When things start to unravel in Dick Diver’s career and relationship, the cracks in the lifestyles of the rich and famous are brought to life…
The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton
Beautiful and charming socialite Lily has an expensive taste and, at 29-years-old, is slowly starting to get worried about her fading beauty and chances of marrying a wealthy man. The House of Mirth is an insightful dark satire focused on the privileged society of early twentieth-century New York.

Creating personalised edits on the daily, our Personal Shoppers are the ultimate experts when it comes to styling Topshop. Discover the pieces that are trending this week, plus tips on how to wear them now…

Liven up this tie-front blouse with a pair of floral trousersTrousers (pants in North America and Australia) are an item of clothing worn from the waist to the ankles, covering both legs separately (rather than with cloth extending across both legs as in robes, skirts, and dresses). In the UK the word “pants” generally means underwear and not trousers.[1] Shorts are similar to trousers, but with legs that come down only to around the area of the knee, higher or lower depending on the style of the garment. To distinguish them from shorts, trousers may be called “long trousers” in certain contexts such as school uniform, where tailored shorts may be called “short trousers”, especially in the UK. and mustard mules.

We’re loving these khaki wide-leg trousers. Style them with a staple white tee, biker jacket and sling-back heels for an effortless weekend look.

Make monochrome happen this summer. Wear this stand-out polka-dot dress with a premium metallic bag and neutral-hued sandals.

Enhance the cool, grungy feel of double denim with a slogan tee, fishnet socks and a pair of high-top trainers.

Fireworks, hot dogs and a really good swimsuit – there’s some things that just go hand in hand with the 4th of July weekend. Whether you’re hitting the beach, watching fireworks or having a quintessential barbecue, here’s 5 trending styles for 4th of July…

Statement Swim
If you’re headed to the beach or having a decadent pool party in the city you need a swim suit that’s going to standout and look great in your Insta story. We think this is the summerSummer is the hottest of the four temperate seasons, falling between spring and autumn. At the summer solstice, the days are longest and the nights are shortest, with day-length decreasing as the season progresses after the solstice. The date of the beginning of summer varies according to climate, tradition and culture, but when it is summer in the Northern Hemisphere, it is winter in the Southern Hemisphere, and vice versa. for the bathing suit so swap those skimpy bikinis for halter top one-pieces or frilly bardot styles.

Cap It Off
Is there anything quite as American as a baseball cap? It’s tipped to be one hot weekend so make sure to look after your skin. As well as the factor 50 pack one of these cute baseball caps to keep your face protected and your style intact.

Novelty
You’ve got the red cups and the hot dogs, don’t forget to pick up those flag-printed accessories! The 4th of July wouldn’t be complete without a cheesy flag or two so grab these socks, swimsuit or jacket to go full Miss America.

The American Icon
Bruce Springsteen? New York Knicks? Whoever and whatever your American icon or icons look like it’s time to wear them on your shirt.

Stars ‘n’ Stripes
Pattern clashing is SO 4th of July. It’s what the design of the American flag was based on. So, we’re pairing a classic stripey breton tee with these seriously extra flag cut-offs. This really is the holiday to embrace the EXTRA.

Vibrant accessories, a bathing suit and a sassy skirt are some of my must-haves this summerSummer is the hottest of the four temperate seasons, falling between spring and autumn. At the summer solstice, the days are longest and the nights are shortest, with day-length decreasing as the season progresses after the solstice. The date of the beginning of summer varies according to climate, tradition and culture, but when it is summer in the Northern Hemisphere, it is winter in the Southern Hemisphere, and vice versa.!

This summer we’re exploring eight destinations together with eight different style icons. Click here to see what artist Lulama Wolf Mlambo was up to on her Corsica getaway, and here to see what Stefanie Giesinger packed when taking off to Mykonos.

Whether you’re heading off on hols, having a stay-cay or just looking to bring some summer to your working day – we’ve compiled the ultimate summer playlist. From Rihanna’s latest track to classic feel-good anthems, here’s what we’re listening to this summerSummer is the hottest of the four temperate seasons, falling between spring and autumn. At the summer solstice, the days are longest and the nights are shortest, with day-length decreasing as the season progresses after the solstice. The date of the beginning of summer varies according to climate, tradition and culture, but when it is summer in the Northern Hemisphere, it is winter in the Southern Hemisphere, and vice versa.…

This summerSummer is the hottest of the four temperate seasons, falling between spring and autumn. At the summer solstice, the days are longest and the nights are shortest, with day-length decreasing as the season progresses after the solstice. The date of the beginning of summer varies according to climate, tradition and culture, but when it is summer in the Northern Hemisphere, it is winter in the Southern Hemisphere, and vice versa., it’s all about making a statement with bright colours. But how does the look work without being over-the-top? We’ve turned to the street style stars to find the best colour combinations to try this season.
1. Ombre pleats
Pleated and fringed fabrics feel fresh updated in ombre layers or colour-fade knits. Keep the silhouette long and straight as a neutral canvas for the eye-catching colour.
2. Sky shades
Evoke blue skies and rays of sun in your wardrobe by pairing pale blue and soft yellow pieces together.
3. Colour-block bags
The colour-block tote bag is trending. Wear it against an all-white or monochrome outfit to make the colours really stand out.
4. Peaches and cream
Shades of cream and rich peachy-yellow complement each other effortlessly this summer. Take the look a step further by adding little pops of pastel pink or blue.
5. Rainbow stripes
We’re loving the colourful stripes on everything from midi skirts to bodycon dresses and summer tops.